A European policy framework for geographic information

The paper considers recent developments at the European level in respect to the creation of a European geographic information (GI) community and to the establishment of a policy framework for geographic information, as both aspects are crucial to promote the dissemination of experience and ideas and to coordinate and direct developments in this field. With this in mind it first reviews recent initiatives in developing trans-national networks in GI research and education, and in establishing pan-European organisations acting as voices for the different interests in the GI field or providing services to the emerging GI community. The second part of the paper focuses on the policy debate surrounding the creation of a European geographic information infrastructure and discusses other important initiatives in where the GI dimension is also present. From this review, it emerges clearly that significant progress has been made in many areas and that the European Union has come to play an increasingly important role in this field. There are, however, a number of barriers still existing particularly in respect to the development of a common policy framework on GI at the European level which will require a sustained effort from the GI community to be overcome. This is all the more important at a time when the European Union itself is taking on major challenges including monetary union, and enlargement to former communist countries.     

Study on Planar Whispering Gallery Dielectric Resonators. II. A Multiple-Band Device

The basic theory underlying the realization of simple multiple-band non-homogeneous dielectric resonators, whose spectral response is the overlap of single-resonator frequency bands, is developed exploiting a general approach discussed in the previous companion paper. The limit frequencies of the proposed devices, given only by the dielectric properties of the involved materials, can differ in principle by several decades. Experimental confirmations have been obtained on a composite structure built up with teflon and polyethylene; as predicted by the theory, the overall band includes frequencies which range about from 20 GHz to more than 400 GHz, when high frequency resonances are selectively excited. The localization of the higher frequency radiation between the positive steps of the dielectric constant, which is the basic properties of these non-homogeneous resonators, has been experimentally verified by mapping the electromagnetic field intensity. Possible applications of multiple-band Whispering Gallery dielectric resonators are finally outlined.     

Si-Al-O-N Fibers from Polymeric Precursor: Synthesis, Structural, and Mechanical Characterization

Polymeric fibers were produced from a polyaluminocarbosilane obtained by reacting polycarbosilane and an aluminum alkoxide modified with a β-ceto ester. The pre-ceramic fibers were converted into amorphous Si-Al-O-N ceramic fibers after a pyrolysis process under flowing ammonia at 1000°C. ²⁹Si and ²⁷Al magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance investigations were performed to characterize the conversion process of the polymeric precursor fibers into the ceramic product. However, because of the amount of matter required for the MAS-NMR experiments, the heat treatment applied for fibers was done on powders assuming identical evolution for both materials. Tensile strength was measured at various stages of the pyrolysis process and related to the corresponding structural evolution.     

α-Zirconium Sulfophenylphosphonate as a Catalyst for the Synthesis of 3,4-Dihydropyrimidin-2(1<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>)-One Derivatives Under Solvent Free Conditions

Abstract  

3,4-Dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one derivatives were synthesized using layered α-zirconium sulfophenylphosphonate as a recyclable heterogeneous catalyst. Several classes of reagents, such as functionalized aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes, β-dicarbonyl derivatives and 2-aminobenzimidazole, were used to synthesize different 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one derivatives under solvent free conditions.     

Reliability improvements in 50 nm MLC NAND flash memory using short voltage programming pulses

For the first time, an innovative programming methodology based on the use of ultra-short voltage pulses is applied in NAND flash architecture. The methodology starts from the physics of SILC dynamics and oxide damage, and relies on the trade-off between duration and amplitude of short voltage programming pulses, minimizing the creation of new traps in the tunnel oxide. The short pulses programming technique is applied on a small 50 nm NAND array designed for multibit application. Benefits of the short-pulse operation lie in that data retention and endurance which show meaningful improvements. The result is relevant for application in multibit technology, and opens the way to more aggressive cell scaling rules.     

Modeling of Physical Defects in PN Junction Based Graphene Devices

Graphene’s exceptional electro-mechanical properties make it a strong contender to replace silicon-based Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) devices in the future. Among other novel material-based devices, graphene is pushing the research community to find new technological solutions that exploit its special characteristics. As it is a semimetal, the key challenge for graphene-based devices to be used in digital circuits is introducing band gap. Among the proposed approaches, electrostatic doping represents a key option. It allows the implementation of graphene pn junctions through which building a new class of reconfigurable logic gates is possible. This devices are analyzed in this work. Recent works presented a quantitative analysis of such gates in terms of area, delay and power consumptions, confirming their superiority w.r.t. CMOS technologies below the 22 nm. This paper explores another dimension, that is testability, and proposes a study of possible physical defects that might alter the functionality of the graphene logic gates. Two major kinds of manufacturing defects, which are possible in these gates, namely the S h o r t s between the device’s terminals and O p e n terminals, are considered. These faults have been injected into non faulty devices at the SPICE-level and the resulting behavior is mapped to appropriate fault model. Most of such models belong to the CMOS domain, but for some specific class of defects, new fault definitions are needed.     

Geomatic and Geotechnical Monitoring of Settlements in the Venice Lagoon,Italy

The safeguarding of Venice and the Venetian lagoon （Italy） from rising water is of great national interest. Besides the normal tidal regime, the effects of an increase in the frequency and intensity of floods in the lagoon have been accentuated by a reduction in the elevation of the land in respect to the actual average sea level. With the aim of reducing the vulnerability of the lagoon, the Italian Ministry of University and Scientific and Technological Research financed the research project ＂The geotechnical model of the subsurface for the safeguarding of Venice and its lagoon＂, to study the compressibility of the lagoon deposits, both by natural causes and as a consequence of overloading with heavy structures. The project involved the construction of a large experimental embankment in the Treporti area of the lagoon, in order to perform a full-scale long-term compression test on the lagoon soils. By using various geomatic and geotechnical monitoring techniques, it was possible to appraise very small vertical movements of the ground induced by the compressibility of the highly heterogeneous silty formations. High-precision data was acquired by means of classical topographic methodologies integrated with continuous GPS （Global Positioning System） measurements. In addition, vertical displacements of the ground were obtained using geotechnical instrumentation. This cross-monitoring approach provided a valuable tool for analyzing both the natural and anthropic causes of settlement.     

Response of residential electricity demand to price: The effect of measurement error

In this paper we present an empirical analysis of the residential demand for electricity using annual aggregate data at the state level for 48 US states from 1995 to 2007. Earlier literature has examined residential energy consumption at the state level using annual or monthly data, focusing on the variation in price elasticities of demand across states or regions, but has failed to recognize or address two major issues. The first is that, when fitting dynamic panel models, the lagged consumption term in the right-hand side of the demand equation is endogenous. This has resulted in potentially inconsistent estimates of the long-run price elasticity of demand. The second is that energy price is likely mismeasured.To address these issues, we estimate a dynamic partial adjustment model using the Kiviet corrected Least Square Dummy Variables (LSDV) (1995) and the Blundell–Bond (1998) estimators. We find that the long-term elasticities produced by the Blundell–Bond system GMM methods are largest, and that from the bias-corrected LSDV are greater than that from the conventional LSDV. From an energy policy point of view, the results obtained using the Blundell–Bond estimator where we instrument for price imply that a carbon tax or other price-based policy may be effective in discouraging residential electricity consumption and hence curbing greenhouse gas emissions in an electricity system mainly based on coal and gas power plants.     

A novel electromagnetic design and a new manufacturing process for the cavity BPM (Beam Position Monitor)

The Cavity Beam Position Monitor (BPM) is a beam diagnostic instrument which, in a seeded Free Electron Laser (FEL), allows the measurement of the electron beam position in a non-destructive way and with sub-micron resolution. It is composed by two resonant cavities called reference and position cavity, respectively. The measurement exploits the dipole mode that arises when the electron bunch passes off axis. In this paper we describe the Cavity BPM that has been designed and realized in the context of the FERMI@Elettra project [1]. New strategies have been adopted for the microwave design, for both the reference and the position cavities. Both cavities have been simulated by means of Ansoft HFSS [2] and CST Particle Studio [3], and have been realized using high precision lathe and wire-EDM (Electro-Discharge) machine, with a new technique that avoids the use of the sinker-EDM machine. Tuners have been used to accurately adjust the working frequencies for both cavities. The RF parameters have been estimated, and the modifications of the resonant frequencies produced by brazing and tuning have been evaluated. Finally, the Cavity BPM has been installed and tested in the presence of the electron beam.